Nurnberg 1-1 Dortmund: Kuba rescues point for champions

By Livio Caferoglu

Despite the German champions dominating much of the action, their lack of penetration when it mattered meant a stalemate was to be the order of the day in Bavaria

Borussia Dortmund's uneasy start to the new season continued on Saturday, as it could only muster a 1-1 draw at Nurnberg in the Bundesliga.

Tomas Pekhart made Jurgen Klopp's charges pay for their scrappy start to proceedings on the half-hour mark with a bullet header, but Jakob Blaszczykowski's immediate reply ensured his side were entitled to a share of the spoils.

The opening stages of the match were extremely cagey, as both sides set their stalls for the afternoon. Nurnberg, who picked up a surprise win at Hamburg on the opening matchday last week, struggled to impose themseleves early on.

Meanwhile, Dortmund, who kicked off the new campaign with defeat in the DFL-Supercup and a slender victory over Werder Bremen, kept much of the ball in the initial spells, but lacked the final pass as Sebastian Kehl and Ilkay Gundogan came closest.

However, it was the hosts who broke the deadlock inside the first 32 minutes. An outswinging corner from Hiroshi Kiyotake met Pekhart, who jumped highest in the box to nod Nurnberg into the lead against the reigning champion.

But its advantage was short-lived. Only eight minutes later, Marcel Schmelzer's cross caused all sorts of panic in the home side's box, as Robert Lewandowski's saved header and Ivan Perisic's crossbar effort allowed Kuba to sweep up the rebound.

The second half promised much more for Nurnberg, who did not let Dortmund's equalizer ruin its momentum, and it was they who provided the best of the opportunism.

Robert Mak was a thorn for the champions' defense for much of the latter period, as he tried hard to force a second. The attacker saw a strike hit the post after a mazy run, while a penalty appeal was turned down, despite Lukasz Piszczek seeming guilty of a foul.

Suddenly, Dortmund was presented with valid chances of its own. Firstly, Mats Hummels saw a goal-bound header cleared off the line by the dependable Javier Pinola, before substitute Julian Schieber let fly a stinging shot, stopped by Raphael Schafer.

Klopp threw on the likes of Mario Gotze and Kevin Grosskreutz in a bid to salvage all three points at Stadion Nurnberg, but it was not to be Dortmund's day. The Ruhmreiche, however, will be pleased to continue their unbeaten start.Follow GOAL.COM USA on